


Just Love

by Anonymous6285



Series: *pride* [2]
Category: The Outsiders - All Media Types
Genre: Awkward Kissing, Coming Out, Fluff, Gay Johnny Cade, Homophobia, Period-Typical Homophobia, Rejection, Secret Crush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-31
Updated: 2020-05-31
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:40:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24464335
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anonymous6285/pseuds/Anonymous6285
Summary: Johnny has a secret, Ponyboy doesn't use his head, and Darry freaks the hell out.It's fine. It's really fine.
Series: *pride* [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1967863
Kudos: 36





	Just Love

The night was dark as Johnny looked over at the silhouette of Ponyboy, staring at it as the boy pulled his cigarette away from his mouth to expel the smoke inside.

“Ponyboy, you’re good lookin’, you know.” Pony looked over at him and cocked his head in a way that asked him what he said that for. “I mean, everybody always makes a big deal about Soda being handsome and stuff, but it doesn’t mean you’re not…”

As Johnny rambled on, the younger boy just laughed. “Oh, Johnny. Man, you don’t gotta tell me that. I know that.”

Johnny blushed. “Maybe you didn’t know that I know that, too.” Ponyboy glanced over at him, the smile fading as he eyed the boy. And then Johnny got nervous. “I just meant… nevermind. Just forget I said anything. Sorry.”

Ponyboy said nothing more, as he exhaled more smoke. As he stared off at the sunset, Johnny spoke up once again.

“Sunsets sure are beautiful, Pony.” The younger boy nodded, but he didn’t seem to be paying much attention to what Johnny was even saying. “Can I tell you something?”

Then Ponyboy looked over at him. “Course, Johnny! What’s up?”

The older boy started to play with his hands. “I just… sunsets aren’t the only beautiful things in the world, you know.” Then he took a breath, and Pony grinned. “Love is beautiful.”

“Johnny… have you got a girl?” The look on his face seemed excited. Johnny didn’t hang around many girls after Dally’s talk with him, so to know that Johnny found one he liked would be amazing.

But he shook his head. “No, I haven’t got a girl. Look, I don’t think I’m really that interested in girls, you know? Just… I don’t know how to say it.”

“Dally’s still got to you? Not all girls are like that, you know. Some of them are okay. Some don’t want you just for the trouble.”

Johnny shook his head. “No, Pony. I don’t want any girl. I’m… shit,” he mumurmed, and Ponyboy got worried.

“Johnny, what’s the matter?” Pony heard a sob escape his friend, and that was very much not normal for the boy. He would never let himself cry if he could help it.

“P-Pony, I think I’m gay.” The words were so soft that Ponyboy thought he had imagined them. For a second, he didn’t know what to say, and he didn’t even think about how much it would scare Johnny. “Ponyboy?” he asked nervously, his voice breaking.

“Sorry, I just… you sure, man?” A nod. “Well, I mean, you could get in a lot of trouble for that, you know.”

Johnny looked down at the ground. “Shoot. I shouldn’t have told you. Could you just pretend I didn’t say nothin’, Pony? I didn’t mean to… god, I’m so stupid sometimes.”

Ponyboy swallowed thickly. “No, no, Johnny. It’s really fine. I’m not mad at you or anything. Not your fault who you love, right?”

The older boy sighed in relief. “Y-yeah. I suppose. Could you just not mention this to no one, though? You’re right. I could end up in the slammer for this, and I’d really rather not.”

Ponyboy nodded. If Johnny were ever taken away from him, he didn’t know what he’d do.

“Thanks, Pony. And, erm, I meant to tell you something else.” Now the boy looked even more nervous than before, and Pony waited as he got up the courage to talk. But instead, he leaned forward and pressed his lips against his friend’s.

At just that perfect moment is when Darry stepped out of the front door to meet them on the porch. “Pony, come do the dish-- shit!”

Ponyboy jerked away from Johnny, whose cheeks had turned bright red as he looked up at Darry. The oldest of the three of them grabbed onto their shirt collars and pulled them inside, practically throwing them on the couch.

Ponyboy wanted to tell him what really happened, but he couldn’t find the strength to open his mouth as Darry paced back and forth in the living room. Then he stopped and glared at the two of them.

“You two are in deep shit. I hope you know that.” He exhaled loudly.

“I’m sorry, Darry,” Johnny said quietly. “It’s my fault. I kissed him. Pony had nothing to do with it, I swear.”

Darry shook his head. “It don’t matter who had to do with it. It happened, and it happened outside. What if somebody were to see you two doing that?” Johnny felt tears start to well up in his eyes. “Don’t cry. God, Johnny. I hate it when you cry.”

“I can’t help it,” he sobbed. “It ain’t my fault I feel like this.”

“God, I know. And, frankly…” He looked over both of the younger boys sitting next to him. “If you two are… if you like each other, it’s fine, okay? I mean, in this house, it’s fine.” He stopped to take a deep breath. “But that don’t mean it’s fine everywhere, okay? People get killed for that kind of stuff. I just want to protect you both, yeah?”

Ponyboy sniffled. “Darry, I didn’t… Johnny was the one who kissed me. Man, I didn’t--”

“He’s right! You can lecture me all you want, but don’t drag Pony into this he didn’t do nothin’ wrong, you know!”

Darry glared at Johnny. “You didn’t do nothin’ wrong, neither. So you kissed him?” Johnny nodded. “That’s called love, Johnny. That ain’t a crime.”

“It is!” Johnny cried. “That’s the problem! My love is a crime, because you’re not supposed to go fallin’ in love with guys! It’s not right!”

“Just cos the law says it ain’t right don’t mean nothin’!” Darry argued. “Johnny, you are a good boy, and you gotta believe me when I say that you haven’t done a thing wrong!”

Darry huffed and fell onto the couch with them both, wrapping his arms around each one. “I love you two. I mean, not the way you might, Johnny. But I don’t want nothin’ to hurt you none. Just be careful, okay, Johnny?”

He nodded. “Yeah, alright.”

“Good.”


End file.
